Employment After Graduation By Larissa Werbiuk

In western culture a majority of people get brought up with the belief that getting a proper education, will definitely bring you a successful career in the future. Excelling in VCE to increase your chances of getting into your university field of choice, to then complete university, which will get you a job in your preferred career. Unfortunately life after university doesn't always go that way.

We as a young population get lead to believe that if we study hard and get good grades, we’ll be rewarded for it...that's no necessarily true. In 2014, only 68.1% of students got a job in the first 4 months after graduating, down 71.3% from 2013. With 20.3% of graduates managing to secure casual or part-time positions until a full-time position becomes available. That’s 2 out of 3 students securing part-time positions, which realistically is not all that bad.

Although the above statistics are based across all graduates, certain graduates have it tougher then others. Females have a higher advantage of getting a full-time work to men with female’s above from 13.8% to males 10.1%. Females also overtake males in work for part-time, with 21.4% to males only 18.6%.

Coming from a student’s perspective, the outcome of employment after graduation makes you wonder sometimes, if there will be a return for all the hard work and debt from HECS fees. Many people look at student life as simple and less tiring then full-time work, - although that's not necessarily true. As a student especially for those living out of home... the hours required studying take away time to work and earn money for necessities to survive - putting many students in debt or struggling week to week. Students not only need to put 10-30 hours into studying and then managing a dull underpaid part-time/casual job after can be a struggle and take away time for university. To struggle through this with no to little job outcome especially with more competitive fields after graduating, is extremely demoralising and makes people consider their views and roles they have in society. 

Certain careers require more then just a degree, with work placements and internships coming into hand. A majority of the time unpaid internships take advantage of work from students with heavy work hours or the opposite little to no work learning at all.

Many companies offering internships also give students the impression that there is a chance of employment after depending on their work contribution this usually is false and also contributes to students changing courses and career tracks due to the difficulty of managing a great deal of unpaid positions.

As a combination, employment levels after university aren’t just affected from being male or female, colour or religion, but about the course undertaken, which varies in employment rates. Government positions such as nursing (80.5%) and Education (70.0%) have a much higher employment rates due the demand and funds available for those positions. Whilst positions in Agriculture (62.5%) or Visual/Performing Arts (44.7%); are less, due to the competitive fields and limited positions.

At the end of the day as the saying goes ‘all good things take time’. If a graduate truly loves their career and it is their passion, they should follow their heart to what makes them truly happy in life – although knowing when enough is enough and life commitment’s get in the way e.g. making rent and bills should they know when to choose a safer career path.